i think my battery is dead
i tried to start it tonight and it did the classic dead battery bullshit. so i jump started it and everything seemed fine. i drove it for 30 min. and stopped to get gas and of course it was dead again. jumped it again and came back home. after 20 min in driveway it was dead again. the twist is that everything was fine yesterday! it seemed a tiny bit sluggish to start over the past week but i just thought it was the cold weather.
my major concern is obviously with the charging system. there are no warning lights on though but would the EPC cover that if there was a malfunction?

does anyone know the specs for the stock battery? the sticker on it says 640A en/sae but what are the cold cranking amps? what type/size is it? autozone says 94R? is there a warranty/replacement period with the dealer?

p.s. the car/battery is 4-5 yrs old and just under 50k miles

 

Start the car, remove the negative battery terminal. If the car continues to run the charging system is working.

 

5 years on a battery is usually a lifetime. While you were at autozone did you ask them to do a quick load test on the battery. It takes a minute and will tell you if it is bad. I don't believe there is any warranty left on the battery. As to CCA it sounds like autozone looked it up for you.

 

This doesn't always work anymore. Some cars require a constant battery connection (even to a bad battery) to stay running. Not sure about the Audi, but my Jag would die as soon as you removed the cable.

 

Agreed. You're better off having an AutoZone test the alternator (they can do it in minutes with it in the car). Have them test the battery too.

It's probably just your average dead battery. 5 years is a long time in terms of battery life. I'm not sure I've ever had one last that long in any of my recent vehicles.

 

well i was able to get an Everlast Maxx from walmart for $124 total. surprisingly my local dealer only wanted $125 plus core charge and tax. however, the everlast has a 3yr free replacement warranty and i wanted a stronger battery since i recently added a sub and amp (which i think might have kicked the stock battery over the edge)

for anyone's future reference, my stock battery was 640amps EN/SAE (im assuming the CCA is around 550). the aftermarket size/type is 94R. the factory warranty is 12 months full replacement and 3 yrs pro-rated.

 

got it nicely installed yesterday and everything is back to normal
didnt lose my radio presets or auto up/down but had to reset the keyless entry

for anyone searching, the bracket holding the battery down is an 8mm hex nut and the terminal cable has a 10mm nut